Manfred Herzog
Manfred Herzog, better known by his code name Zeruel, is a senior Archangel of the Schwarze Krähen Macht. He formerly served directly under the Commandant in Blitzkrieg, a now-defunct military faction of the old Quincy, prior to the Quincy Massacre. Personality Manfred is, even by the standards of the Schwarze Krähen Macht, one of the bloodthirstiest Archangels. His defining trait is his enjoyment for battle and war. He embraces violence, regarding conflict and carnage as "one of the best creations bestowed by nature". He relishes in the chance to do battle with an opponent that can challenge or kill him, holding a sense of respect for those who can fight on even ground with or overpower him. He tends to forgo the majority of everything for the sake of enjoying a battle, refusing to stop his attacks even in the face of those who accidentally get in his way. He takes no enjoyment in fighting those considerably weaker than him, but has no qualms with killing them just as brutally as he would with one that can keep up with him. Because of this ruthless nature, he is even regarded fearfully by most of the Angels and even some of the Archangels. Despite being one of the bloodthirstiest Quincy in the S.K.M., Manfred is not without his moral code. He believes it a crime to not memorize the faces and names of the people he's killed, even if they were only collateral damage. After a battle, he will go through extensive research to find out the exact details of casualties. Although showing unrepetance for killing innocents in the heat of battle, he will sincerely apologize to the victims for doing so. If there is a body and if given enough time, he will bury the fallen. At times, he will assist his enemies if they are fighting another assortment of foes, with the reasons varying from respect of worthy opponents to a dislike of the mutual opponent. History Synopsis The War of Four Arc *The War of Four: Aftermath (unidentifiable) The Cauldron of Black Arc *The Cauldron of Black: The Tip of the Spear *The Cauldron of Black: Assembly of the Fallen *The Cauldron of Black: Eyes on the Prize *The Cauldron of Black: Through The Looking Glass Equipment H4 Core: All S.K.M. operatives possess an implant referred to as the H4 Core, which replaces what would otherwise be a human heart. This heart is capable of receiving neuron signals sent from the brain and sends them back, operating just like a second brain. Operating as a fueling engine for the enhancements applied to the brain, it is responsible for protocols such as longevity and emergency regeneration. Manfred's death is assured if one manages to manually rip out the core and destroy it, thus shutting down his brain. However, attacks capable of destroying his body completely can negate the regeneration protocols and kill him. Powers & Abilities Immense Strength: The most feared weapon within Manfred's arsenal is his strength. By itself, his physical prowess rivals if not tops the ones within the S.K.M. known for their strength. He has been known to be able to shatter opposing weapons with a single blow, and by his claim, he has been unable to find an opponent capable of defending against his attack for the past 500 years. Only those that are exceptionally strong and carry weapons that are extremely reinforced can handle his strength, but even then, the pressure from his blows can cause the enemy's body to weaken gradually. When enhanced with Blut Arterie, he can be a nigh-unstoppable force of aggression. Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Manfred possesses exceptional skill in the art of swordplay. His fighting style is direct, delivering blows with a fusion of quickness and force. He can wield a blade against the majority of his enemies, either holding his own against them or overwhelming them. His prowess is such that he becomes surprised upon witnessing that an opponent can actually match him in direct combat. Immense Spiritual Power: As an Archangel, Manfred possesses tremendous spiritual energy. Even by the standards of the Archangels, it is particularly monstrous in both quantity and quality. The pressure he exerts is enough to disrupt active combat abilities and techniques, breaking out of a Bakudo 79 spell cast by Hana Yūgure. Notably, his power seems to be close to or on par with Hana's, as he is shown the ability to resist her power.The Cauldron of Black: The Tip of the Spear Reishi Manipulation: As a Quincy, Manfred has the ability to merge surrounding reishi with his own reiatsu in order to manipulate it for his own use. As he relies primarily on physical force, he hasn't been seen using this very much in comparison to other members of the S.K.M.. But in the times that he has shown himself to use it, he has demonstrated considerable control over reishi. The most common usage of this is the instant healing of his Spirit Weapon when it is damaged or broken in the middle of combat. *'Hirenyaku Master:' Manfred possesses considerable skill in the use of the Quincy's high-speed movement Hirenyaku. His speed allows him to press the attack and close distance between opponents within a heartbeat, increasing the opportunity for close-quarters combat. In conjunction with his swordplay, he has been described as a "blur of blades" when he is fighting at full intensity. *'Blut' (血装 (ブルート), Burūto; German for "Blood", Japanese for "Blood Guise"): An advanced Quincy technique which grants one inhuman offensive and defensive capabilities, generated by making Reishi flow into the user's blood vessels. The independent forms for attack and defense cannot be employed simultaneously. **'Blut Vene' (静血装 (ブルート・ヴェーネ), Burūto Vēne; German for "Blood Vein", Japanese for "Stilled Blood Guise"): The defensive half of Blut. Manfred's Blut in particular is strong enough to withstand most if not all blows that come to his person are rendered useless. By his claim, he has stated that he has not been able to find a single enemy who has been able to pierce his Blut Vene for 500 years. **'Blut Arterie' (動血装 (ブルート・アルテリエ), Burūto Aruterie; German for "Blood Artery", Japanese for "Moving Blood Guise"): The offensive half of Blut. Notably, Manfred specializes in techniques that emphasize Blut Arterie courtesy of his preference of offense during combat. ***'Blut Arterie: Death Zone:' By focusing the power of Blut Arterie into his strikes, Manfred can unleash a destructive kinetic blast. The release of power is dependent on the number of hands he uses for the swing. He can release the energy in the form of a fissure or an expanding wave. The Artillery: Manfred's personal Scrift ability. Manfred activates it by pooling a mixture of his own reiatsu with the reishi in the atmosphere and concentrating it to unstable levels. After holding it within that state, he focuses on the target of interest and sends the unstable energy in the form of high-speed missiles. The speed and force of these missiles can cause shock waves to be left behind in their wake. The entire visual effect bears smilarity to artillery fire being laid down upon an enemy position. The starting position can be anywhere Manfred can visualize properly. But as a consequences, Manfred has to use intense mental concentration in order to manifest and and launch these missiles to their locations. Spirit Weapon Reishi Sword: Using his Quincy Cross, Manfred can gather both spirit energy and particles to create weapons. His weapon of choice is a black greatsword roughly equal in length to his body. The sword has no guard, and the edges are silver. *'Heilig Pfeil' (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; German for "Holy Arrow", Japanese for "Sacred Destruction Arrows"): Manfred absorbs reishi into his weapon and releases it during a swing, causing a multitude of arrows to spawn in its wake and be fired at the target. The amount of arrows depend on the amount of reishi gathered into his blade, but each one is powerful enough to pierce through heavily armored targets. He can hold these arrows in place using his will when they are spawned and levitate them in order to gain a better purchase on moving targets. Quincy: Vollständig When this is activated, a substantial amount of Reiatsu is released, resulting in the formation of a towering column of energy that ends in a large Quincy Cross. Manfred steps from the base of the cross in his Vollständig form, causing the cross to shatter. Thanks to the empowerment of his H4 Core, it doesn't spawn reishi wings and a halo associated with the common Vollständig. Like the rest of the Archangels, his entire appearance changes. He gains heavy full-body armor with a dragon's theme to it. His weapons change as well, shifting from a massive sword to a hammer and shield. He becomes taller and more muscular, reaching to a state where he towers over the majority of his foes. *'Enhanced Strength:' In this state, Manfred's attack power gains a tremendous boost. He can effortlessly send targets flying back for extreme distances at high speeds. Air resistance caused as a result of getting knocked back is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recover from until landing. Direct blows can tear an enemy to pieces due to the pressure and force. *'Enhanced Speed:' Despite his bulky appearance, Manfred possesses frightening levels of speed. He can cover extensive distances within the blink of an eye, appearing before his opponents and attacking before they even have a chance to react. References